Lubricating arrangement for machines and mechanisms



B. SMITH Jan. 8, 1952 LUBRICATING ARRANGEMENT FOR MACHINES AND MECHANISMS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1948 Inqentor EBI'f Agent.

Jan. 8, 1952 B, sMlTH 2,582,172

LUBRICATING ARRANGEMENT FOR MACHINES AND MECHANISMS Filed June 3,1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Berf A Agent B. SMITH LUBRICATING ARRANGEMENT FOR MACHINES AND MECHANISMS Filed June 3, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 r!Ill,IIqIIl/IIIIIIIIIII/IIIII Invqnior Berf 41 Age/v25.

Jan. 8, 1952 B. SMITH 2,582,172

LUBRICATING ARRANGEMENT FOR MACHINES MECHANISMS Filed June 3, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 65 I 053 of 2%? I m FIG-8- FIGS.

Inventor Ber 7' m [/74 *Wz Agent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 LUBRICATING ARRANGEMENT FOR MACHINES AND IJECHANISMS Bert Smith, Leicester, England, assignor to G. Stibbe & Co. Limited, Leicester, England, a

British company Application June 3, 1948, Serial No. 30,824 In Great Britain July 5, 1947 6 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating arrange- I ments for machines and mechanisms, and has for its object to provide new or improved lubricating means adapted to operate automaticallyfor supplying liquid lubricant to machines and mechanisms while they are working, whereby the human element is eliminated, except in so far as replenishment of lubricant is required from time to time.

While the automatic lubricating means constituting the invention may be of general application, the said means are designed for use principally in knitting machines and, in this respect, primarily in high speed circular knitting machines wherein adequate but not superfluous lubrication is essential, especially within cam systems or/and between said systems and the beds for knitting instruments such as needles, sinkers or web holders, jacks, sliders and the like which customarily work in tricks or grooves in the beds.

Hitherto, so far as we are aware, the lubrication of knittin machines has been effected manually and has been wholly the responsibility of machine of neglect, the machines are not properly lubriminders, operatives, or mechanics. If, by reason cated or are run dry there is considerable risk of overheating and damage. 0n the contrary, if lubrication is over-done, leakage of superfluous oil occurs and this ultimately fouls the knitted fabric. The automatic lubricating means provided by this invention are, therefore, advane tageously applicable to knitting machines, espe cially those of the circular type for supplying lubricating oil to relatively large components, parts or surfaces between which there is relative rotation, or/and reciprocation at what as, appertaining to such machines, are regarded as being highspeeds. 7 Y

Broadly considered, the invention includesfas a feature of general application, a lubricating. mechanism comprising a container for a, supply of lubricant, and means adapted to operate automatically for taking lubricant from the container and supplying it to a receiver or receivers from which the lubricant is transmitted to the required point or points.

The invention comprises, as another feature, a knitting machine furnished with lubricating mechanism as just defined adapted for operation, automatically, during the working of the machine, for supplying lubricant to appropriate parts or components thereof.

A particular illustrative embodiment of the invention applied to a circular multi-feed interlock knitting machine adapted to operate at a speed of, say, sixty revolutions per minute will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a general perspective view of so much of the cylinder cam box and of the dial cam cap of the machine as is necessary to illustrate the automatic lubricating mechanism in its operative position.

Figure 2 is a further and somewhat similar perspective view showing the mechanism swung temporarily out of the way,

Figure 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig ure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail side elevational view, partly in section, and as seen in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 3, of the cam means and the intermediate connections through the medium of which the lubricating mechanism is automatically operated.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the actual lubricating unit with the covers thereof removed,

Figure 6 is a vertical section view of the said unit, taken on the line VI-VI of Figure 5, the gearing for the lubricatin moving unit and its associated parts being removed but with the covers in position,

Figures 7 and 8 are detail vertical sectional views taken on the lines VIIVII and VIlI--VIII of Figure 5 respectively, I

Figure 9 is a further detail sectional view of the unit hereinafter to be described, and

Figure 10 comprises diagrams illustrating the manner in which the dipper or spoon functions to take a measure of the lubricant from the container and deposit the said measure into a receiver from which the lubricant is transmitted to a required point.

Like partsare designated by similar reference characters throughout the drawings.

In Figures 1 to 4, the sections of the stationary cylinder cam box of the machine are indicated at I, and the stationary dial cam cap sections at 2. Thenumeral 3 indicates the dial cap hub and, in Figure 4, a portion of the rotary boss which carries the conventional tricked dial is shown in dot-and-dash lines at 4. Since the machine is of the interlock type, there are in all four needle cam tracks, two in the cylinder cam box and two in the dial cam cap. It is these tracks which, in accordance with the present invention, are lubricated automatically-during the workin of the machine. Thus, oil to the two tracks in the cylinder cam box is fed through pipes 5 and 6 which communicate directly with g the said tracks through holes formed in adjoining cam box sections, whilst oil to the tracks in the dial cam cap is similarly fed through the two holes I and 8 formed in adjoining cap sections.

The lubricating mechanism in this example consists of a self-contained unit comprising a reservoir 8 for lubricating oil in bulk including, as shown in Figures and 6, a spring loaded valve it, a trough H to contain oil admitted through the valve, oil receiving cups l2 in the trough, a dipper or spoon It for lifting measures of oil from the trough H and depositing same in the cups l2, and, alsoin the trough, intermittent gearing comprising pawl and ratchet mechanism and a Geneva movement for periodically operating the dipper or spoon. The trough H is formed, as shown clearly in Figure 7, with spaced horizontal lugs or ears !4 which are drilled through centrally to receive a vertical pivot pin l5 by which the unit is pivoted at the outer end of an arm [6. The inner end of this arm is secured in a bossed portion I! of a collar is which is fitted upon and arranged at required times to turn about a central boss !9 on the dial cap hub 3. into the bossed portion H, and secured by a set screw 2%] and a locknut 2|. A lateral extension 22 of the bossed portion ll is drilled through radially to receive a locking plunger 23 which, when pushed home, extends through the collar it; into a hole formed in the central boss 19 suchwise as to locate and lock the unit in its operative position shown in Figures 1 and The lockingplunger 23 is furnished with an operating handle 24 which is capable, when turned up into a vertical position, of being moved through a slot 25 formed in the lateral extension 22. After the plunger 23 has been pushed fully home, the handle 24 is turned down and located in a recess or notch 26 which prevents withdrawal of the plunger. Whenever, on the other hand, the said plunger is withdrawn, by first turning up the handle 24 and then causin the latter to slide outwardly through the slot 25,

the plunger can be temporarily held out of engagement with the boss I9 simply by turning the handle down in front of the lateral extension 22 of the collar l8 in the manner depicted in Figure 2-. The bottoms of the four oil receiving cups la in the trough H are drilled through and tapped to receive outlet tubes 21, 28, 29 and 38 adapted at their lower ends for engagement removably in the aforementioned pipes 5 and t and in the holes I and 3 respectively. The construction so far described therefore is such that in the event of it being necessary to remove the cam cap sections immediately below the oiling unit, the latter can be swung out of the way. To do this, the locking plunger 23 is first withdrawn, whereupon the collar I8 and the unit are lifted bodily to effect disengagement of the four outlet tubes 21, 28, 29 and 3.0 from the upper ends of the pipes 5 and 5 and from the holes 1 and 8. The entire unit can now be swung clear in either direction by free turning movement of the collar it about the boss 59 and the reservoir 9 and the trough H can additionally be swung outward on the pivot pin l5-leaving the appropriate cam sections clear. In this position the unit can, moreover, the more readily be cleaned or otherwise attended to as circumstances require. To replace the unit in its operative position, the reservoir 9 and the associated trough H are swung inwards as far as they will go and the arm It is brought round, still at the raised level, until the outlet tubes 21, 28, 29 and 30 are The arm I6 is screwed fix 4 immediately above the respective oil feed pipes and holes. The entire unit is then lowered by allowing the collar [8 to fall and make contact with the dial cap hub 3, as a result of which the outlet tubes will engage in the said oil feed pipes and holes. To secure the unit in its operative position, the locking plunger 23 pushed home so that it engages in the hole in the boss l9, and the handle 2 is turned to the position indicated in Figures 1, 3, and 4.

An adjustable supporting pin 3! is provided to maintain the trough ll level.

The valve ill conveniently consists, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, of a spring loaded poppet pin with a conical head le and is mounted in a fitting 32 fixed by a screw 23 in the reservoir 9 at the bottom, near which the reservoir is formed at 3G with a correspondingly shaped port in which the conical head is seated under the pressure of the spring so that it projects outwards from the port. The reservoir 9 is fitted with a tubular cover 36 of such length that the rim 3? at the open lower end reaches the valve when the cover is placed in position and by action upon the conical head it, holds the valve l0 open so that oil can flow into the trough when permitted. When, on the other hand the cover 36 is lifted to clear the rim S'i from the valve, or is removed for filling the reservoir 9, the valve closes so that no oil can pass out of the reservoir. It is important to note that the reservoir 9 is mounted in a correspondingly shaped part ll of the trough ii so that when the cover 35 is in position, as illustrated in Figure 6, its open end reaches into the trough. Consequently, by adjusting the cover 35 vertically in relation to the level of oil in the trough ii, the level of the oil in the latter can be regulated. To enable such adjustments to be effected, grub screws 38 are provided, vertically, in lugs at the edge of the part H of the trough in which the reservoir 9 is located, and the cover is formed with a flange 39 which rests on the heads of the screws, so that by adjustment of the said screws the height of the open end of the cover in relation to the level or the oil is varied accordingly. By variation of the level of the oil in the trough the amount of oil taken by the dipper or spoon 13 can be varied, according to requirements. Thus, lowering of the cover will lower the level of the oil in the trough and cause less oil to be taken by the dipper or spoon and vice versa. The reservoir 9 and its cover 36 may advantageously be made transparent so that the oil level can be Watched without difficulty. The capacity of the reservoir is such that it will hold sufiicient oil for about forty-eight hours running time. The aforesaid part li of the trough and the adjoining part thereof in which the four oil receiving cups l2 are located may conveniently be regarded as two inter-communicating oil chambers in which the level of the oil is the same. Since the lower open end of the cover 36 rests in the oil, the said cover normally seals the oil reservoir 9 so that no oil can flow from it unless air is admitted. As the oil is used, the level in the inter-communicating chambers of the trough falls and uncovers the bottom end of the cover, thus allowing air to pass into the reservoir. As a consequence, oil flows through the port at 34 to the trough until the level is raised sufficiently to seal the cover again, at which time the flow of oil stops.

Instead of the rim 3! at the lower end of the tubular cover 36 acting directly upon the conical head of the valve l normally to maintain the same open as hereinbefore described, the outside of the reservoir 9 may, alternatively, be fitted with a steel spring strip 46(Figures 1, 2 and '6') which tends to spring outwards and is adapted whenever the cover 36 is placed in position, to be pressed inwards, by the rim 37, onto the valve which is accordingly held open against the action of its controlling spring 35.

As shown in Figures and '8, the dipper or spoon I3 is pivotally mounted on the free end of an arm 4| radially attachedat the other end-- to a four-armed star wheel 42 somewhat similar in shape to the driven wheel of a conventional Geneva movement, the pivot 43 of the dipper or spoon being disposed parallel to' the radial centre line of the arm 4| so that the dipper or spoon depends therefrom. The dipper or spoon is thus adapted for angular movement about the centre of the star wheel 42 and to swing tangentially to the circular path of movement. The star wheel is mounted for rotation freely about a vertical axle 44 in the form of the head of a screw 45 screwed into a tapped boss 46 in the bottom of the trough. The driver of the Geneva movement is in the form of a disc 41 which is formed with a radially projecting tooth or lug 48 and is attached concentrically, to, the underside of a ratchet wheel 49 in turn rotatably' mounted on an axle 50 fixed in a boss 5| in thetrough I I. Here again, the axle 50 is constituted by a plain portion of a screw 52 (see Figure 8.). In this particular example, the ratchet wheel 49 has sixty teeth. A bell crank lever 53 with a spring-loaded pawl 54 thereon is pivotally mounted on the axle 50 of the ratchet wheel. The oil receiving cups P2 are fixed or, as shown, formed in the trough H, each with its centre located coincident with the circular path P of movement of the dipper or spoon I3, which, in the rest position, depends freely from the end of the radial arm 4! into one of the cups. By virtue of the engagement of the tooth or lug 48 on the driver disc 41 with one of the arms of the star wheel 42, as the result of racking movement, the said star wheel is turned through an appropriate number of degfees-in this example a quarter turn. Consequently the dipper or spoon I3 is first lifted from the cup l2, by reason of the rim thereof acting as a fixed cam, then it drops into the oil in the trough H as depicted at a in Figure 10, and, ultimately, by engagement with the rim of the next cup, it is lifted outof the oil (see b Figure 10) and over the rim so that it drops into the said cup in the manner illustrated at c, Figure 10, thereby depositing therein the measure of oil thus picked up. There the dipper or spoon pauses until thenext impulse is given to the star wheel 42. Thus, as in the illustrated arrangement there are four cups l2 at 90 apart and a Geneva movement including a four-armed star wheel and a one-toothed disc, one impulse at a time suflices to carry the dipper or spoon from one cup to another. As previously explained, each of the oil cups I2 is drilled to receive an outlet tube for distribution of oil to the required points.

The pawl and ratchet mechanism may be racked from any convenient part of the machine. Referring to Figures 1-4 it will be seen that the bell crank lever 53 is oscillated continuously from a cam 55 (Figure 4) fixed to the rotary dial boss 4, through the medium of intermediate connections comprising a vertical actuating plunger 56 in the stationary dial cam cap. a bell crank lever 51 and a connecting rod 58. The bell crank lever 51 is disposed in a vertical plane, fulcrumed at 59 upon the bossed portion ll of the collar i8 and controlled by a torsion spring 60. The con necting rod 58 extends between the outwardly extending arm 6| of the bell crank lever 53 and the upstanding arm 62 of the bell crank lever 51. Whenever the aforesaid locking plunger 23 is withdrawn, it acts on the arm 62 and holds the bell crank lever 51 clear of the actuating plunger 56. Hence it is important to see that the looking plunger is pushed right home at such times as the unit is in its operative position.

The throw of the cam 55 is always the same,

but there is provided a stop 63 adapted to be set in any one of four positions, marked 1, 2, 3 and 4, to allow the pawl torack one, two, three or four teeth respectively, at each revolution of the machine. If the pawl stop 63 is set at 1, the ratchet wheel will make one complete revolution in sixty revolutions of the machine, and each cam track in turn will therefore receive one measure of oil in every two hundred and forty revolutions of the machine. Setting 2 will give one measure per one hundred and twenty revolutions; setting 3 one measure per eighty revolutions, and setting 4 one measure per sixty revolutions-to each track in each case. The four settings are provided to cover the requirements of all diameters of machine. Again, the pitch of the ratchet teeth may be varied to suit requirements. A check pawl 64, shown more clearly in Figure 9, is provided in association with the ratchet wheel 49 to prevent reverse rotation thereof. The intermittent gear is disposed in a plane above the cups I2, and a cover plate 65 is provided on the trough II. As will be understood, the star wheel 42 is locked against rotation when the driving tooth or lug 48 is not in mesh so that the dipper or spoon I3 is positively held at rest between actions. Conveniently for this purpose the concentric surface of the driving disc 41 engages the concave surfaces at the ends of the arms of-the star wheel. By virtue of the construction, arrangement, and operation aforesaid, measures of oil can be supplied, intermittently, to selected points in the machine for long running periods-depending on the capacity of the reservoir-without replenishment of the reservoir, and, by judicious adjustment of the cover 36, the level of the oil in the trough II can be regulated to a nicety in accordance with the rate at which oil is taken from the trough by the dipper or spoon I3 which is designed so as to lift and deliver no more than a drop or two at a time so that superfluity is avoided. Thus, apart from being required to replenish the reservoir 9 at relatively long intervals, a machine operator or mechanic is relieved of much if not all of the responsibility of regularly and properly lubricating the machine. Moreover, oil is delivered evenly over desired surfaces, and when the machine stops lubrication also ceases.

If desired, more or less than four cups may be provided with appropriate modification of the design of the intermittent gearing, if necessary.

The invention may, with appropriate adaptation, be applied not only to circular, e. g. plain or double cylinder, knitting machines of all types but also to straight bar and flat knitting machines wherein cam carriages reciprocate over needle beds.

What I claim then is:

1. A lubricating mechanism comprising in combination, a container for asupply of lubricant, an element rotatable about a vertical means to impart intermittent movement to the rotatable element, a spoon pivoted to the the rotatable element with the pivotal axis radial to the axis of the rotatable element and depend ing from the rotatable element, receivers for the lubricant located in the path of movement of the spoon, the arrangement being such that rotation of the rotatable element will cause the spoon alternately to dip into the container taking a measure of lubricant therefrom, and thereafter depositing the measure into a receiver, the said spoon after serving one receiver dipping into the lubricant again before serving the next receiver, and means for transmitting lubricant from the receivers to the required points in a machine,

2. A lubricating mechanism comprising, in combination, a container for a supply of lubricant, an element rotatable about a vertical axis, means to impart intermittent movement to said rotatable element, a member pivoted to the edge of the rotatable element with the pivotal axis radial to the axis of the rotatable element and depending from the rotatable element, receivers for the lubricant located in the path of movement of the member, the arrangement being such that rotation of the rotatable element will cause said member alternately to dip into the container taking a measure of liquid therefrom, and thereafter 'depositing the measure into a receiver, the said member after serving one receiver dipping into the lubricant again before serving the next receiver, and means for transmitting the lubricant to the required points in a machine.

3. A lubricating mechanism comprising, in combination, a container for a supply of lubricant, an element rotatable about a vertical axis, operating means including intermittent gearing for imparting periodical motion to the said rotatable element, a member pivoted to the edge of the said rotatable element with the pivotal axis radialto the axis of the rotatable element and depending from the rotatable element, receivers for the lubricant located in the path of movement of said member, the arrangement being such that rotation of the rotatable element will cause the mem ber alternately to dip into the container taking a measure of lubricant therefrom, and thereafter depositing the measure into a receiver, the said member after serving one receiver dipping into the lubricant again before serving the next receiver, and means for transmitting the lubricant from the receivers to the required points in a machine.

4. A lubricating mechanism as claimed in claim 3 wherein the intermittent gearing is a Geneva movement.

5. A lubricating mechanism as claim in claim 3 wherein the member pivoted to the edge of the rotatable element is a spoon.

6. A lubricating mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said spoon pauses between one dipping and depositing action and the next dipping and depositing action.

BERT SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name, Date 375,291 Hildebrand Dec. 20, 1887 1,579,586 Wilkes Apr. 6, 1920 1,983,504 Westburgh Dec. e, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,921 Great Britain 1880 61,487 Germany Mar. 12, 1892 

